d20 List: Top 10 ‘Experience’ Games

Editors Note: An earlier version of the post had some wonky formatting and Andrew forgot how to count, so he only had 9 items. This has been corrected, and the writer is completely mortified by the error 😉 )

Hello! It has been a while. My (Andrew) family has been continuously sick for the past 6 weeks, so we’ve really been focusing on surviving and not really worrying about things like board games or writing about them.

But that all changes today! I realized it had been a while since we had done a d20 review, so I spun up the dice and rolled a 10…which is a really original number for lists 🙂

I decided to challenge Ryan and myself to think about games that can be classified as an “Experience”. Now, this might mean something different to both of us, but when we were talking about it I described them as this:

“Those games that you may only play once a year due to the sheer size of it, or something like Pandemic Legacy that is an evolving experience after many plays. Games that almost get to “that was an experience but I never want to do it again, or do it for a very long time” or it could even be something you played at a CON that’s out of print so you probably won’t experience it again.

Charterstone: I called Charterstone my Game of the Year 2017, which was pretty high praise considering we played it twice and it came out in November (or thereabouts).

While we haven’t been able to continue our campaign recently, my wife and I still fondly talk about our time playing it, although I don’t see myself/us playing through the campaign again, even though I bought the recharge pack.

Memoir ‘44 D-Day Landings: This is a specific expansion to Memoir ‘44 that takes 6 maps in the Breakthrough and Overlord formats and smushes them together so you can play Operation Neptune..if you can find the space. I ran a game of this at BGG Con Spring this year, and it was a ton of fun, but also a surprising amount of work. Due to the space, time, and rule investment, I can’t imagine playing this anywhere other than a Con, but still feeling super satisfied each time I finish.

Twilight Imperium 4e: I played this for the first time a few weeks ago, and it was incredible (I wrote about it here). However, this is one I don’t see myself playing more than once or twice a year due to the number of people needed and the time investment it takes. It was a ton of fun, and at the end I did sort of sit there in a state of awe, but it also took a lot out of me (as weird as that is to say about a board game). I was drained when we finished.

Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit: This is one of those that’s an experience because it’s so hard to find. Long out of print, this is a sort of 3 front ameritrash Star wars game that coincided with the release of Episode 1.

I was able to play this at the first BGG Con I went to since they had a copy in the library. It was a fun game, not great, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a copy for my collection.

Side Note: If you are looking for a game to substitute for this one and still get a similar experience, I wholeheartedly recommend Risk: Star Wars Edition.

Arkham Horror with All Expansions: Arkham Horror is how I got started in gaming. A fraternity brother brought it home one evening and so we went down to the dining room where there was plenty of table space and promptly got devoured by Azathoth.

Eventually, we would play marathon games where we would play against Great Old Ones after Great Older One. Eventually we would add in an expansion or two, but we never played with all the expansions.

I see these games pop up at Conventions I attend from time to time, and I haven’t yet joined in one, but I want to. But something tells me I would never want to do it again (especially since I haven’t played Arkham Horror in a very long time).

Roads and Boats: This is a game that doesn’t look the prettiest, but it is super deep. It’s a game about managing and upgrading a supply chain, while being opportunistic and taking from your opponents who haven’t been paying attention.

It also takes a while to play; a recent teaching game I ran at a Con took 5 hours or so. That’s a lot of time to devote to a game about moving geese, donkeys, and other transporters around, and it’s a real brain burner, so this one hits the table about once a year or so.

Tales of the Arabian Nights: To me, Tales of the Arabian Nights (TotAN) is not a game, it’s an interactive story. This is a huge choose your own adventure game set in the world of 1001 Nights. However, there isn’t a whole lot of strategy or meaningful decisions to be made, so I only like to play it from time to time with a group that is looking for just that: a fun night laughing at what hijinx our characters get into.

Monster Wargames: This one is a bit of a cop out because it’s a classification of game, not a game itself, but I have a ton and I couldn’t pick just one. A Monster Wargame is a wargame that has a ton of counters and a huge map. Some examples are The Devil’s Cauldron and The Battle for Normandy.

I have a ton of these, and while you can play smaller scenarios, there is something about seeing an epic setup of maps on your table. These can take a long time to set up, usually have a pretty dense rule set, and take a long time to play, so most people play them with VASSAL. I can’t imagine, though, after playing a whole full game of one that I would be itching to do it again soon.

Sentinels of the Multiverse: Age of OblivAeon: Full disclosure: This is the only one on the list I haven’t yet played. This was the last Sentinels of the Multiverse Kickstarter, and it provided a mode where the heroes have to fight OblivAeon, who can be compared to Thanos from the Marvel universe.All the things I’ve heard from people who have played it say that it’s long, complicated and takes up a ton of table space. Based upon that, I can definitely see myself getting this set up when I want something meaty, but I can’t imagine I will play it a ton.

Silverton: This is game about mining and prospecting in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. It’s a thinky economic game that actually can play solo which is somewhat rare. However, it’s a little fiddly and games can take a while, so we normally only get this out once or twice a year.

Ryan’s Picks

When Drew first suggested this topic, I took it completely wrong. I was considering only my individual favorite gaming experiences. I was listing experience games, but also those. Then I re-read his text, and fixed my list. This would have been a really long post if I went with gaming experiences in general, although I might use that for a personal post in the future.

Here’s my list in no particular order:

Die Macher – This was once a top 10 BGG game (Even #1 I believe before I joined.). It’s a game about German elections, so the theme isn’t exactly attention grabbing. It may be THE prototypical “Euro” game, all cube pushing. It’s like a 3-5 hour playtime. I’m not going to want to play it much, but I would gladly play it again. The mechanics make sense. There are a LOT of them, but once you play through a turn or 2, it makes sense. But it’s never a game I think I would knowingly play well. I’m just never going to dedicate enough time to get good at it.

This War of Mine – Ok, I haven’t actually played this yet, but the reviewers all seem to say the same things. They all mention it’s a well designed game and practically a work of art, but it’s depressing and not fun. I love the idea of a game that may not be fun, but is more a work of art game. I traded for this recently, and I do enjoy the video game. Or I should say I enjoy the challenge of the video game, it really is difficult and a bummer to watch your characters continually suffer. The board game apparently mimics this well.

Time Stories – A very interesting gaming experience. Start a story, fail, start over with some knowledge, likely fail again, repeat until successful. Believe it or not, it is fun. I’ve only played the base scenario, and I am looking forward to trying more of them.

Charterstone – The only legacy game I’ve finished so far (That list is really just this and Pandemic Legacy.). We had a blast, although I screwed up a rule early, and misread a card midway through, and continued to misuse that card for points for the next several games, and of course, guess who won? We already have a recharge pack to play it again.

Eldritch Horror – I am not obsessed with the Cthulhu mythos, but the games tend to be really good. This one may end up being my top new game I played this year. I’ve only played it 2 player, but have enjoyed it immensely. It tells a nice story to go with simple mechanics.

Tales of Arabian Nights – A fun choose your own adventure style game. Not a great cohesive story, and it can take a long time for what it is, but it’s a game I’ve enjoyed the couple of times I’ve gotten to play it.

The Mind – This one probably barely qualifies for this list, but it’s almost exclusively an experience when you play it. It’s quick, but the game itself is just how much you enjoy the experience of not talking, just feeling when you or your teammates need to play a card. Not for everyone, but I very much enjoy it.

Formula De – This one is especially great with more players. Having several people racing closely, causing issues, maybe even blocking the exact spot you wanted to go. It’s a blast with at least 6,better with 8-10, and one of my best gaming experiences period involved 12 people at a con.

Runebound – One of my favorite games. I really enjoyed the first edition and fell in love with the second edition. Sadly I haven’t played the latest version. Always fun, but it can take a LONG time if people play cautiously. It just take a while to build up your character. I have learned to not be too timid early on anymore.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark – I have however played both editions of this game. I prefer the new edition, with its streamlined rules, but the first edition was a better experience, taking several hours of players vs Overlord battles. Still one of the best dungeon crawls. I really considered Gloomhaven for this spot, but went with the one I’d played the most, I’ve only played 2 sessions of GH, although we are trying to plan for more, so that might replace Descent eventually.

There you have it. Ryan and I’s Top 10 “Experience” Games. Have you played any of these? Any other ones you would add? Let us know in the comments!

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “d20 List: Top 10 ‘Experience’ Games”

I expected Tales of Arabian Nights, and wasn’t sure Charterstone would make it for you because I knew you were having trouble getting it to the table.

I only played Arkham Horror once, and while I enjoyed it, I knew my group in MN would never play it.

I was supposed to play Queen’s Gambit at a Con, but we had made lunch plans, so I was able to watch it for a bit. I agree that it wasn’t an amazing game, but it looks like it wold be fun once in awhile.

I’d love to try Oblivion, I haven’t played Sentinels in awhile, maybe all year. Might need to remedy that…

Oh, and because that one play was so interesting, I definitely want to check out the new Arkham Horror, although Eldritch Horror might replace that. Or maybe even the Arkham Card Game can scratch that itch.